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The annual Winnipeg winter celebration, Festival du Voyageur is in full swing. Again this year Manitoba weavers are present, contributing to the history component of the festival. We’re weaving tea towels this year. Several weavers have taken their place at the loom.

Rita was the first to weave.

Susan who warped the loom.

Carol was there on Friday night, with fingerweaver Claudette Carriere

The fingerweavers were also there.

Weaving and talking with the public about weaving.

As far as that sprang sash, the Braddock sash replica goes, I am still learning. This week, after over a foot of sash was woven, I was still not so smooth, shoving the cross around. I decided to start trying a couple of things. For one, it’s winter, -20 outside, so the heat is on inside, meaning it’s pretty dry. The silk is getting to be full of static. I’ve decided that maybe my metal knitting needles were contributing to the static, as they glide through the threads when I move the shed around. I now use wooden dowels. I’ve also decided that the warp needs to be spread out.

A dowel and spring-loaded clips keep the cloth spread.

Working the interlinking, I’ve been bunching the threads together in my hands. I am thinking that this brings the width in, brings the threads all together. Having the threads all in a bunch seems to invite the tanglepixies. I’ve decided to position another pair of sticks to keep the cloth spread out. This also spreads the warp threads. When I work across a row, I only hold some of the threads, not all in my hands at once. This had made a considerable difference. The shed moves much more easily.